There were plenty of bands called the Wild Ones in the ’60s, but this group doesn’t seem to be related to any of them. A Massachusetts location is possible. The “200,608” number on the label refers to a Decca custom pressing, usually, but not always used by bands in New England. There was a group called the Wild Ones from Shrewsbury/Worchester MA with the single “Number One Girl” / “Surfin’ Time Again” on Camsul.
Mike Markesich wrote: “September, 1965 release. They are not related to the NYC discotheque performing group on United Artists & the Sears label, even tho I’ve seen that mentioned somewhere before. Nothing in copyright matches the titles, songwriters or producer name.”
The highlight is the A-side’s “Please”, a sharp rocker with a desperate singer and a very simple guitar break. “Just Me” is faster, with an even simpler, but effective guitar solo. Good, spare production with a booming sounds to the drums and clearly audible descending bass lines.
Both songs were written by Pratt and Scheurer, and produced by M.A. LaGrotte for the Tiger Productions label.
Info on the Camsul release from Till the Stroke of Dawn by Aram Heller. Thanks to Mike Markesich for the info and label scans, and to Davie Gordon for pointing out the connection to AAA in his comment below. Thanks also to the Eggman for bringing this subject up!
Lord Alan and Sir Richard were Richard Tyson and Alan Abrahams, who co-wrote both songs on this 45. I’m not sure who the band is on this record.
“Run in the Dark” is a pretty sharp copy of the peppy English sounds of the time, something like the Dave Clark Five. “Little Things” has more substance, beginning with the arresting bend on the opening guitar chord that starts the melancholy first verse.
The ‘Slay Cannon’ production credit refers to Frank Slay and Freddy Cannon. Frank Slay had Claridge publishing going since 1963 or earlier. In 1965 he started the Claridge record label. Previously he wrote songs with Bob Crewe, and the two of them helped Freddie Cannon get his song “Tallahassie Lassie” to Swan Records. Slay became Cannon’s producer for the duration of Freddy’s Swan years.
Cannon brought his sometime backing band, the Rockin’ Ramrods to Claridge for its first 45, “Don’t Fool with Fu Manchu”, and also co-produced this 45 on the one-off Cannon label, also probably in late 1965 or early ’66.
Slay managed to get a German release for the single on Ariola, which is why “Little Things” showed up on volume 15 of Prae-Kraut Pandemonium.
Claridge lasted through 1966, releasing approximately 20 singles, including Scotty McKay’s “Here Comes Batman” and another by the Ramrods, “Play It” / “Got My Mojo Working”. Frank Slay revived the label after moving to Los Angeles in the 1970s.
Sources include: Both Sides Now for background on the Claridge label.
Mark Dalley – vocals, guitar, keyboards Robert Coulter – rhythm guitar Greg Cobb – bass Mark Hansen – drums
“Sally I Do” is a great New Zealand freakbeat single and rare too, I would think. The flip is a good ballad, “Silver Ship”, which they dedicate to “those Services active in Vietnam” (New Zealand sent nearly 4,000 troops there).
Both sides were written and produced by Mark Dalley. I was a little disappointed to find out this was a studio band, from New Zealand Music of the 60’s and 70’s:
Abdullah’s Regime was a Wellington group, put together only to record the first single for the launching of the newly formed independent label, Ode Records in November 1968. It was one of the first independent labels to challenge the monopoly that the major labels had on the local recording scene. They never played or recorded together again. Robert Coulter later played in Risk in 1973 and Mark Hansen was in the original Mammal line-up in 1970.
Len More sent in this bio and photos of the Fabulous Pendletons, from Newark, Ohio, just east of Columbus. Len wrote to me “They never recorded. Terry Worth left the group in 1966. I grew up in Newark also but never saw them. I did frequent a dance club called “Alcatraz” in Newark and the “Pirates Cove” in Granville. I also had a friend Jim Proshek that was in a band called The Cytes from Johnstown and Alexandria.”
The bio reads as follows:
The group formed in Newark, Ohio in 1964 and played until the summer of 1967.
The original lineup was John Butts (lead guitar), John Proudley (drums), Terry Worth (rhythm guitar), Dave Pound (vocals) and Dave Morris (vocals). Worth and Morris left the group to seek other fame and fortune. Jerry Miller joined and added the bass guitar to the sound and Jeff Robb from nearby Granville, OH took over on rhythm guitar.
The group played at various scenes around central Ohio including the Newark Armory, Battle of the Bands at Vets Memorial in Columbus, the Holiday Swim Club as well as the college dance circuit. The jocks from WCOL in Columbus were helpful in furthering their career, especially Mike Adams. The group played cover songs of the day but no original compositions.
They played with Ohio acts such as the Rebounds, the Dantes and Sir Timothy and the Royals. They also played at the same venues with national acts such as the Standells, Terry Knight and the Pack, the Left Banke, The Supremes, Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, and the Four Tops.
The Fabulous Pendletons circa 1966, clockwise from left: John Butts, Dave Pound, Jerry Miller, Jeff Robb and John Proudley “Terry Worth left the group in 1966 shortly before this picture was taken.” – Len MoreThe Fabulous PendletonsThe Fabulous Pendletons with the Vogues
Men at Work, from left: Karl Lundeen, Marvin Glenna (drums), Dale Madison and Dean JohnsonThe Exiles, from left: Dean Johnson and Gene Markus
I am proud to present Men at Work – a group based out of St. Paul, Minnesota originally called the Exiles. The members came from the Chisago Lakes area: Chisago City, Center City and Taylors Falls. They chose the moniker Men at Work years before the dippy Australian novelty act and cut one rare 45 with two fine versions of r&b from the day.
Gene Markus – lead vocals Karl Lundeen – lead guitar / bass Dean Johnson – organ / guitar / bass Dale Madison – bass / guitar John Lindbloom – drums, replaced by Marvin Glenna
Dean Johnson at the drums with the Exiles
Pauline Kabe introduces her father Dean Johnson’s band:
This little known 1960’s garage band played with the likes of The Castaways, The Trashmen and other local rock bands. Inspired by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, they were one of the many garage bands that hoped to ride the wave of pop music in the wake of the British Invasion. They took the name “Men At Work” more than a decade before the Australian 1980’s pop group.
This 45 was recorded at Dove Studios in Bloomington, Minnesota in 1966 and produced by Peter Steinberg. “It’s All Right” is a cover of the Rolling Stones “I’m Alright”. “Shame, Shame, Shame” is a cover of a Jimmy Reed tune. One of the hot teen places they played was The Country Dam (now razed), which was located in Turtle Lake, WI. The Country Dam funded 1000 singles to be cut in hopes to reach local DJ’s and gain popularity.
The band only saw 100 copies and the remaining copies were to be sent to local DJ’s for air play. The remaining 900 copies mysteriously disappeared (or were never cut). Only a few remaining copies are owned by family members of the band.
They have also played under the name Walt’s Rhythm Kings and in the 1980’s The Georgia Express.
Dean Johnson
Dean Johnson wrote:
I believe it was the summer of 1966 when the Exiles went into the recording studio and cut “It’s All Right” and “Shame, Shame, Shame”. By this time Dale Madison had joined the group as the primary bass guitar player as I had bought a keyboard (organ), and there were five of us. Not terribly long after we cut the record, John Lindbloom was drafted and went off to serve in the Viet Nam war.
We, of course, had some advance notice this was going to happen, and we had been looking for a drummer. Marvin Glenna was one of the first that we tried out. While he had the ability, he was very young and inexperienced, and we were concerned about getting him in to the bars we were playing in. We tried out two or three more who were just crap, and eventually decided to give Marvin a whirl. It turned out to be a great decision.
Marvin Glenna
For sometime before as well as after we cut the record, we were bring booked by Jim Donna of the Castaways and also by a prominent DJ from KDWB radio. We were playing the teen club circuit from Buffalo to Renville and also some college gigs at the University of Minnesota, St Cloud, and Storm Lake, Iowa….including many weekends at Woodley’s Country Dam. The owner – Jim Woodley – actually financed the studio time and the cost of pressing the records; and we in turn played for him for nothing for many, many weekends until we had paid him back.It was a cold, wintery night and we had a gig up at a Catholic High School in St Cloud. Marcus didn’t show up for the job, and we were ill prepared to do a complete four set night with out him. We stumbled and struggled the best we could, but none of us knew the words to all the songs he had sung, and we ended up butchering his songs and playing the handful that were our numbers over and over again for maybe the fourth or fifth times. The kids were pretty upset with this shitty band, and rightly so. We got peppered with snowballs, I ended up cussing out a priest which made Dale Madison – a devout catholic – extremely angry.
Dale Madison
Marcus showed up at my house later in the week. Karl and I were there at the time and we told him to take a flying leap and that we didn’t want to see him again. He had helped us purchase some equipment, so he demanded a guitar, amp and microphone and went on his way. We have never seen him since.So the four of us learned all of the words to the songs that Marcus had sung, and we continued as the Men at Work for the remainder of 1966, all of 1967, and up until about a month before [my daughter Pauline was] born in March of 1968. I had promised that I would quit playing in order to be around to help when and after she was born. We were sort of a unique group for the times as the three front men, Dale, Karl & I would all switch around on each other’s instruments because we could all play a little bass, a little lead and a little rhythm guitar. We would do three or four numbers and then switch instruments and do two or three more, etc., all night long.
We were all supposed to get together again later that summer to regroup and practice up as we had playing dates booked at the Country Dam and other sites beginning in September. However, when the time came, Karl and Marvin had been playing with Marv’s brother, Walt, down in the cities, and they announced that they had decided to stay there instead. After a while, I was asked to come down and join in… which I did.
So then we became Walt’s Rhythm Kings for the next couple of years, playing at country bars and clubs on the NE side of Minneapolis, eventually settling in as the house band at the Forest Lake bowling alley which had a significant club and dance wing. Eventually we went uptown to play at the Forest Laker in downtown Forest Lake as the house band there.
Karl Lundeen
We at some point had the revelation that we should be the Georgia Express, and we played again at the Country Dam, the Tea House (country club at Chisago Lakes Golf Course), Forest Lake, weddings, Fireman’s Balls, local town street dances, the Conestoga, Lindstrom Golf Course, and many private parties.
Walts Rhythm Kings and Georgia Express:
Walter Glenna – lead vocals / guitar Marvin Glenna – drummer / vocals Dean Johnson – bass / vocals Karl Lundeen – lead guitar / vocals
Thank you to Pauline Kabe for alerting me to Men at Work, and to Dean Johnson for his help with this article.
from left: Dale Madison, Marvin Glenna and Karl LundeenDale Madison and Dean JohnsonDale MadisonDale MadisonKarl LundeenKarl Lundeen
There were many bands called the Henchmen throughout the U.S. in the ’60s, but this one came from Ogden, Utah.
Gary MacShara wrote in a comment below:
The “45 … was recorded at a studio at the University of Utah.
The group consisted of 5 students from Ben Lomond High School in Ogden Utah. The members were Tom Whitimore, Rick Wessler, Paul Quigley, Gary MacShara,and lead vocalist Von Nielson.
The group broke up after High School. The highlite of there career was a session with the Liverpool Five. The low point was when we took the record to a Salt Lake radio station and the jock in the studio played it and said quote,”After reading the article in [Billboard] I expected something better.”
If anyone has more info or photos of the band, or better scans of the 45, please contact me.
Because the comments below were almost entirely about the band from Utah, I have moved the original group featured in this post to a new page.
Not the Rock Garden from Arkansas who recorded “Super Stuff” for the Revise label, or the Georgia group who cut “Starry Eyed Woman” for Prophet, or even the one from Michigan (formerly Frederic) who recorded for Capitol. This Rock Garden seems to be an unknown group, possibly only a studio creation.
Released in 1968, “Sweet Pajamas”, written by Jason Schulman, was nearly forgotten for years. I could call this psychedelia-by-numbers due to the anonymity of the group, elaborate production touches like the harpsichord break, and an instrumental middle section taking after the Dead or Mad River. Despite these criticisms, the disparate parts add up to a gem of a song with an endearing hook. The musicianship is professional: the drums crack on the stop-and-start tempo changes, the bass nicely doubles the vocal melody and the rhythm guitar loosens up in the second half of the song.
The B.T. Puppy label was owned by the vocal group the Tokens. Their hit “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” was recently discussed on a garage forum as being possibly the most unbearable song of the ’60s. Regardless, by 1967 the Tokens used their harmonies and writing skills to craft some fine psychedelic pop for their LP It’s a Happening World, including “For All that I Am” that the Creation would cover for one of their final singles, and a brief vignette called “Perhaps, the Joy of Giving”.
On the B-side of the Rock Garden single, “Perhaps, the Joy of Giving” is extended to two minutes, laden with effects and voices.
The 45 was produced by Elliot Weiss & Bright Tunes Productions, engineered by Wally Sheffey.
Josh Pettibone sent in the photo of the Henchmen above in response to my post looking for info on some mystery Texas bands. It came from the collection of a DJ from Hobbs, New Mexico, just over the state line from Texas. I couldn’t find any information about the band until member Ben Boyett contacted me in January 2014.
Ben writes:
We were from Hobbs, New Mexico, and played gigs throughout eastern New Mexico and west Texas. The (original) Henchmen pictured are, left to right, Dennis Spillman, lead guitarist; Kirk Smith, bass (sitting on floor); Danny Spivey, drums; and, me, Ben Boyett, second guitar and vocals. We played in this configuration during the 1964-65 era, recording some pretty forgettable singles [unreleased], “Put That Phone Back On The Hook,” “Two Lives,” and “Animal Crackers.”
After a year, we reformed, with Robert Pampell on keyboard replacing Spillman. In that lineup, we recorded with the late Ray Ruff in Amarillo, TX. Ray Ruff’s studio in Amarillo was a tiny thing in an old shopping center. Just after the Henchmen recorded there, a fire pretty well gutted the place. In the last years of his life, Ray Ruff was a very successful country record promoter. He had a great memory, and even recalled several events about me when I ran into him almost twenty years after recording with him.
Somewhere, recordings exist, including the Ray Ruff session, but I’ll have to do some looking through many boxes of memorabilia.
I re-entered the music business about 20 years after the photo, and recorded a single with the late Norman Petty that was released. I think it sold about ten copies, and most of those to relatives. But, getting to work with the legendary Norman Petty was like getting to work with Mozart or da Vinci.
Danny Spivey is still playing on sessions and in church, after having toured with Up With People back in the late sixties. (He’s the only one of us who actually read music.) Dennis Spillman, the lead guitarist, writes oil and gas leases in Oklahoma. Kirk Smith, the bassist, came to an ignominious end during the seventies.
Q. Did the Henchmen make it as far as Dallas? I came across a band called the Henchmen in a list of bands at the 1967 Texas State Fair.
No, my version of the Henchmen did not make it to Dallas. We were strictly an area phenomenon.
Andy and the Manhattans (or is that Andy and the New Playboys?), 1967, personnel unknownRobert Anderson was a singer from Omaha, Nebraska who fronted most of his bands as Andy Anderson, beginning with Andy and the Live Wires with “You’ve Done It Again”, a light vocal over a Willie & the Hand Jive beat, b/w a Duane Eddy-type instrumental “Maggie” on the Applause label in 1960.
Next came Andy and the Playboys (no recordings as far as I know), and in 1964 Andy and the Manhattans, whose 45 on Cardon Records I’m featuring today.
“Double Mirror Wrap Around Shades” is a good bit of jivey r&b, an original by Anderson, like the flip. It charted at #40 on the August 28, 1964 chart of Chicago station WLS 890 AM.
“Tell Her Yourself” has vocals that sound very folk-influenced, though the backing is simple garage r&b.
Also that year they had two singles on Musicor, “Should’ve I” / Desperate” (I haven’t heard either song) and “Skinny Minnie” / “Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide”. After the Manhattans he recorded as the Buggs on Soma, featuring Bobby Jones (later of Aorta) on drums, then retired from professional music to go into medicine.
In a sad and gruesome end to the tale, on May 21, 2009 Anderson shot his wife Karla then himself. A news report on KMTV (no longer on the station’s website) didn’t elaborate on the circumstances.
Sources include Rockin’ Country Style, Rockabilly Bash (link defunct) and chart info from ARSA (link made private).
Thank you to Michelle Monnette for sending in the photo at top.
Times-Herald, Oct. ’67 list of bands at the Action Spot
The above clipping was sent to me by Rollie Anderson of Dust, showing close to 60 bands that competed at the October, 1967 Texas State Fair in Dallas. Not all the bands were from Dallas or Fort Worth, though I suspect most of them were.
I think it’s worth listing all these groups to see how many we know anything about – I only know about a handful of these groups. To see photos of the Action Spot stage, see the article on the Mind’s Eye.
If anyone can help with info on any of these, please write to me at chas_kit@hotmail.com or leave a comment below.
Blue Green Blue Moon Brand “X” – There was a Brand X from El Paso that featured Ken Prichard of Danny & the Counts. However, Ken told me they didn’t play this event. The Caretakers The Coachmen – likely the group from Ft. Worth who recorded the instrumental “Splash Day” for Spotlight, though it could be the Coachmen from New Mexico who recorded “Grapes of Wrath” / “Summer Should Bring Happiness” for Sea-Ell. The Coachmen from Abilene had broken up by this time. The Colonists Dust – see Rollie’s article on this site. The Destinations Don and the Demons – according to a comment below, Don & the Demons came from McKinney, TX and recorded a version of “Walking the Dog” on the the Gibson label which I haven’t heard. Execution of Time Joey Farr and the Orbitors – As Tommy “Rockin’ Bones” points out in a comment below, this is probably a later band of Little Joey Farr who had releases on the Houston label Kangaroo and the Colorado label Band Box. 5th Amendment John Foster’s Group The Gentle Rebellion The Gents – from either Dallas/Ft. Worth or as far away as Abilene – 45 on E.V.E. label in 1966 Gingerbread Blues The Henchmen – definitely not this New Mexico band The Herd Hillsboro Group HMS Blues Hunters of Time Images The Jazz Informers The Kaces Kempy and the Guardians – Oak Cliff group named after vocalist Gary “Kempy” Rawlings, they recorded the legendary “Love For A Price” / “Never”. Larry Samford may have been another member The Kicks Killeen String Band The Kolumn – from Lancaster, TX – see comment below Lunatic Fringe Main Street Prophets The Merchants Mind’s Eye – not listed in the article but see photos of the band onstage at the Action Spot New World Night Creepers Noise Inc. The Off Beats – There was an Offbeats who cut “Drenda Ann” / “Chaos” (both by John Brodie) on the Cherokee label from Arlington, but I don’t know the year for that. Another possibility is Jimmy & the Offbeats who recorded for Bofuz. Less likely is James De Fore, a San Antonio artist who cut 45s as Jimmy Dee & the Off Beats in the late ’50s. Owsley The Pagans – from Carrollton, NW of Dallas, according to a cousin of three of the members The Playboys Five Prisoners of Love The Reasons Why – possibly the Temple group who recorded the excellent “Don’t Be That Way” for the Sound Track label. John Schwertner went into the Lavender Express. The Reflections Reining Daze Satin and the Soul Men The Sensations – see the article on this site. The Shade – see the article on this site. Sound in Motion – aka the Sounds in Motion – see Howard and Steve’s comments below. Don Sperry Quartet Starlight Group The Tyme Keepers The Unclaimed Freight The Untamed U.S. Bonds U.S. Britons – (U.S. Brittons) Dallas group featuring fifteen-year-old Mike Jones. They cut two original songs “Come On” and “I’ll Show You a Man” that exist on demo acetate as far as I can tell. Both songs were highlights of Green Crystal Ties vol. 3. The band played throughout Dallas, including at the Studio Club. The band included Larry McNeny, Larry Meletio (drums), Herman Drees (guitar), Joe Cree (bass) and Mike Jones (guitar). See below for more info. Walter Vaughn The Westminsters The Young Texans – likely from Grand Prairie, with Jim Koof (Kopf?), vocals; Dennis Stark, lead guitar; Don Booker, lead and rhythm guitar; Bobby Head, bass; Jerry Head, drums. See this clipping
Larry McNeny wrote to me about the U.S. Britons:
I had heard about that compilation but never heard the record. I started the band with Larry Meletio in Jr. High. Mike Jones was in a band with Joe Cree (Rowe’s little brother) and [both] eventually joined us. Mike was a fluent songwriter. He’d call me several times a week and play me a new song he’d just written for us. He also had a great 442!
Oddly enough I remember that State Fair gig. Also I noticed a pre-US Britons band of mine on a newspaper ad for a show for Jas. K Wilson (a clothing store) where we played with 5 of a Kind, The Galaxies & the Rogues. We were called the Roamers! I honestly don’t know where we came up with these names!
Larry McNeny
Thanks to Mike Markesich for the info on the Gents and for reminding me of the U.S. Britons.
This site is a work in progress on 1960s garage rock bands. All entries can be updated, corrected and expanded. If you have information on a band featured here, please let me know and I will update the site and credit you accordingly.
I am dedicated to making this site a center for research about '60s music scenes. Please consider donating archival materials such as photos, records, news clippings, scrapbooks or other material from the '60s. Please contact me at rchrisbishop@gmail.com if you can loan or donate original materials
There were plenty of bands called the Wild Ones in the ’60s, but this group doesn’t seem to be related to any of them. A Massachusetts location is possible. The “200,608” number on the label refers to a Decca custom pressing, usually, but not always used by bands in New England. There was a group called the Wild Ones from Shrewsbury/Worchester MA with the single “Number One Girl” / “Surfin’ Time Again” on Camsul.
Not the Rock Garden from Arkansas who recorded “Super Stuff” for the Revise label, or the Georgia group who cut “Starry Eyed Woman” for Prophet, or even the one from Michigan (formerly Frederic) who recorded for Capitol. This Rock Garden seems to be an unknown group, possibly only a studio creation.
Next came Andy and the Playboys (no recordings as far as I know), and in 1964 Andy and the Manhattans, whose 45 on Cardon Records I’m featuring today.
